I recommend Bob Mannel's book on the Small Block Ford V8. It is an encyclopedic review of that engine family throughout its use by Ford and is very helpful when trying to determine exactly what you've got.

Believe it or not there are OTHER people in this world on the net "In The Know" besides Marti or Bob Mannel.

Topic:
Yes, unless it is 1968 Mustang we cannot tell for sure if it is original but we can tell if it is the same vintage as the car.
Just post the block and heads numbers especially the 3 or 4 digit Cast Date code.
The C5AE group of numbers doesn't mean much without the date it was cast.

Believe it or not there are OTHER people in this world on the net "In The Know" besides Marti or Bob Mannel.

Topic:
Yes, unless it is 1968 Mustang we cannot tell for sure if it is original but we can tell if it is the same vintage as the car.
Just post the block and heads numbers especially the 3 or 4 digit Cast Date code.
The C5AE group of numbers doesn't mean much without the date it was cast.

Hey I thought the post asked if he could tell if his car has the original engine.
IMO there's a lot of hype about numbers matching cars. In many cases we try to show that
the engine we have could be the original, the dates don't rule it out!

Years ago I had a one owner '37 Ford (I was the second). The factory number was stamped
in several locations on the frame and on the bell housing. Back then engines were frequently
swapped for factory replacements. The title would show that a new or rebuilt factory
factory engine with a new ID was installed.
Yes this wasn't Marti, it was before Marti!

actually, if you know the previous/original owner[as I do with my coupe]and trust their word/facts[as I do]you can know if your car has the original engine[and trans,and rear diff,as mine does . Another good thing to look for are the original tags that came on the carb,engine[bolted to intake],and rear diff[,bolted to the housing.]I found all three. I am somewhat lucky I suppose,but originality was important to me..Good Luck...

actually, if you know the previous/original owner[as I do with my coupe]and trust their word/facts[as I do]you can know if your car has the original engine[and trans,and rear diff,as mine does . Another good thing to look for are the original tags that came on the carb,engine[bolted to intake],and rear diff[,bolted to the housing.]I found all three. I am somewhat lucky I suppose,but originality was important to me..Good Luck...

Lenny,

in spring of 1964 I placed a factory order for a 289 4V 4 speed vert with handling
suspension. I have the original registration for that car. Records do not exist for
Ford cars prior to '67 model year. It's my understanding that all I have is
word of mouth on my '64 1/2 vert, no way to prove it!

As noted previously, there really is no way to know for sure if your engine is "the" original engine for your car. However, I would suggest looking at the engine assembly date that is stamped into the machined ear on the block in front of the driver's side cylinder head. If that date precedes your car's build date by 1-10 weeks, chances are the engine is original. Components have probably been changed over the years, but you can also check their date codes to check originality.

No, all cars had a partial vin stamped on engines and transmissions starting in 1968.

Canted Valve, You are either not finding the partial vin or it is a service replacement block.

So where do I look? I dont claim that I have looked in the right spot nor have I inspected the entire block. I have 5 blocks... none of them have part numbers, and I pulled 3 of them from cars that I am fairly confident were original engines.

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